Various types of automatic machines, semiautomatic machines or direct manual access machines for use in hotel rooms for vending articles such as bottles containing wine or liquor, snacks, or cosmetic articles, have been developed.
Some of these machines are very simple and comprise a small refrigerator. Hotel room occupants are able to take any article stored in the refrigerator and fill in a sheet so as to list the different purchases which are later added to their bill. The drawback with this type of machine is the inconvenience for the user in listing the different purchases and errors may easily occur.
Other machines are more automated. They permit a user to chose articles stocked in cells or a honeycomb, and when an article is removed, the corresponding cell closes, not permitting the repositioning of the article taken out, and the removal of the article is automatically recorded on a billing computer which records the purchase. This type of machine has the drawback that users cannot put back unused items if they change their minds after removing them from the machine.